Upload virtual reality videos

Virtual reality (VR) videos are a new kind of video that make you feel like you’re actually there. Using the same tricks that humans use to see the world, VR video gives you a sense of depth as you look around in every direction. Near things look near, far things look far.

To get the full effect of VR videos, we recommend watching on a Daydream View (on a supported phone), Google Cardboard, or a Playstation VR. If you’re using one of these devices, make sure you have the most recent version of the YouTube app.

If you don’t have a VR viewer, you can still watch this content on your mobile device or desktop in Chrome, Opera, or Firefox. It will appear as a 360 video without 3D.

Before you upload, we recommend that you export your content in over-under equirectangular format with a 1:1 aspect ratio at a resolution of 5120x5120 or higher, up to 8192x8192. Maintain square pixels (i.e.,1:1 pixel/scale aspect ratio). There should be no letter/pillarboxing and all pixels should be used. The resulting image should appear horizontally stretched.

Your video file needs to include specific metadata. This allows YouTube to recognize it as a VR video and enable the right playback modes. Follow these instructions to add the necessary metadata into a new file for you.